BALTIMORE – On Friday, coach Jurgen Klinsmann proclaimed his U.S. National Team the favorites to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and they looked the part in Saturday’s quarterfinal. The best performance of Clint Dempsey’s career lifted the U.S. to the most lopsided win in its Gold Cup history, a 6-0 rout of Cuba.
Dempsey had his first international hat-trick – including the tone-setting header just four minutes in – to bring his tournament-high total to six. Strike partner Aron Johannsson added a goal and assist, including a world-class chip from outside the box. And when it was over, the U.S. had their biggest margin ever in the Gold Cup, and a ticket to Wednesday’s semifinals with even loftier goals in mind.
“You always want to score as many goals as possible. But the most important thing is that the team does well and we want to win this tournament. We want to win this tournament so we can be in the Confederations Cup. We have two difficult games ahead of us,’’ said Dempsey. “We’ll look at the tape and work on things; but I feel like we’re moving in the right direction.’’
They’re moving onto the semis in Atlanta vs. Jamaica, and shorthanded Cuba proved nothing more than a speed bump.
Like the U.S. Women in the World Cup, the men finished first in their group despite lackluster offensive production, but turned it on in the knockout rounds. They’d mustered just four goals in three group stage games – all but one by Dempsey – but had four in the first half alone against Cuba.
“I think we are a very good spot going into Atlanta, well-prepared; and our goal is as simple as that, to win this Gold Cup,’’ said Klinsmann, whose team wants to tie Mexico’s record of six Gold Cups, and clinch a bid in the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia. “I made it very, very clear if there’s anybody on the field who takes it lightly, I’m going to take them off after 10 minutes.’’
The U.S. were merciless against a depleted Cuba side missing five players – Ariel Martinez, Dario Suarez, Keiler Garcia, Arael Arguellez and Aricheel Hernandez – all presumed to have defected.
“All we can control is whoever we pay against we prepare as best we can and put in a professional performance,’’ said Dempsey. “I thought we did that.”
The U.S. attacked down the wings with Englewood (NJ) native Alejandro Bedoya on the left and Gyasi Zardes (who scored in the 14th) on the right. And the defense was untroubled despite the yellow card suspension of CB John Brooks, with Omar Gonzalez starting for him and even scoring his first international goal.
After Dempsey’s header got the U.S. on the board first, Zardes volleyed home a Fabian Johnson cross. Johannsson made a perfectly-timed run onto a Michael Bradley longball, seeing GK Diosvelis Guerra off his line and chipping him from 20 yards out to make it 3-0.
The U.S. pushed it to 4-0 just before halftime, when Johansson headed a Bradley corner back in play and Gonzalez swept the ball home for his first international goal. Johannsson, in arguably his best game in the U.S. uniform, drew a penalty that Dempsey converted in the 64th, and Dempsey capped the rout in the 77th.
“He’s hungry for goals,’’ Klinsmann said of Dempsey, “and he has two more meals.’’